Donald Schmitt, a partner in the firm, described his vision for the gallery[3]:

It will be a place of stories told by the images of people who have played a role in the history of the 20th century. It is our role as architects and co-ordinators of the design team to create a place where these stories are conserved and brought to life.

Ryerson University president Sheldon Levy said the new $8 million gallery would be “a wonderful addition to our downtown Toronto community.”

The Black Star collection of 300,000 original black-and-white photographs was donated to Ryerson in 2005. Ryerson is home to Canada’s largest photography school.